When Hejo Theisgen from the Labora youth workshop in Hildesheim asked us in 2011 whether we would like to take part in an aid project for young Africans without opportunities, we had no idea that we would need a lot of patience to realize this project.
There were many tasks to be completed before the loading date:
The financial resources for the project had to be raised and an application for a transport grant had to be submitted to the federal GIZ – which was fortunately approved.
The container already on our premises needed a new safety inspection by Dekra, a damaged area on a corner pillar had to be repaired and holes in the roof had to be welded. A new protective coating was also needed. 33 bicycles, 10 cargo bikes and 30 pedal sewing machines, tools and workshop accessories as well as spare parts were loaded.
Bishop Wüstenberg, who was ordained a priest in Hildesheim in 1982, initially went illegally to South Africa, which was ruled by an apartheid regime at the time, but was later given a farm on Mount Carmel in the province of Aliwal and set himself the task of giving young people without opportunities a perspective. A bicycle rental service, cargo bikes and pedal sewing machines are now intended to help people help themselves.
This closes a circle in which school leavers at Labora and people in work opportunities at Arbeit und Dritte Welt are connected with South Africans. In this case, the resources are used bicycles, tools and sewing machines, which are saved from the scrap press and landfill and thus regain their value. The motto is: recycle and reuse. This is sustainable for everyone involved.
